The "like" button

[kscadman]

I like and understand the "like" button added to the posts. My only discouragement is that I get likes but no feedback on progress, whether it be about my skills or my historical knowledge. I enjoy all the  responses I receive from the betters in the craft but I do get frustrated sometimes about my accuracy to the craft.

 

Is it just me or do others feel the same? Likes are nice and give me a boost, but healthy "criticisms/critics" would be appreciated so I can increase my skills and techniques.  

[mtaylor]

Well... that's a bit of problem, as such, that's been around for awhile.  The like is a replacement for the "nice work" comments.   One way is look at the logs of others building the same (or similar) ship and ask questions or make comments.  Most will answer and reciprocate.  I guess I should add that it's tough to read and comment on everypost.  So many each day.  

[ccoyle]

Ditto what Mark said. Just think of "likes" as people who are enjoying your work but don't feel like they have anything significant to add to the discussion at that point. If you have a general question about some aspect of the hobby (planking techniques, for example), you can try asking your question in the relevant area of the ship modeling techniques forum.

[kscadman]

Mark and Chris, thanks for the perspective.

[Cathead]

I think it's hard to do unto others as we'd have them do unto us. It's hard for me not to see Likes as somehow lesser than a written comment, yet my personality really struggles with writing lots of generic "Looks nice" posts if I don't have something specific to say, and so I work hard to remind myself that a Like is a completely legitimate response. Also, sometimes nobody knows the answer to your question. I know I've felt bad about not responding to a question in a build log before, but if I don't feel I can add anything helpful, it doesn't feel right to take up space saying "Beats me".

 

Finally, I struggle to decide where the line between constructive criticism and nitpicking is. We all have different standards for "good enough" and photos can often be very unforgiving, so I don't know how or when to point something that looks wrong to me but the builder might be fine with. I'm also not such a good builder that I'm always comfortable attempting to critique others' work, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that regard. It's a difficult situation to parse.

 

This also goes back to the tension between the two roles of build logs: as a live community experience of a model's progress, and as an archive of the work that was done. In the former role, lots of comments are welcome and even psychologically beneficial. In the latter, lots of comments are a PITA, as anyone reading through a past log has to wade through lots of irrelevant content. The only other online forum I frequent (a baseball site) has the opposite problem: all comments are essentially live-streamed (they aren't numbered and tagged as at MSW), making it really easy and fun to interact with people but nearly impossible to find past content again. Neither approach is perfect.

[coxswain]

Hi, my name is Steve, and I am a shipaholic - oops, wrong meeting!! :^)  Actually, I get tired sometimes of hitting the like button, easy as it is, but I am a major violator, and I know where you're coming from - I will try to explain my rationale.  As Mr. Taylor said, there are so many posts every day that it's hard to keep up, but the main reason I use the "button" is that I really don't have the knowledge to make a constructive criticism that would be of any help.  I consider myself to have very good taste (I'm here, aren't I?), and I COULD be very critical, but people many times are very sensitive when their abilities are on the line - I know I am - so I recognize the sincerity of the effort, as long as they don't have a rectangle that they pinched one end into a triangle and stuck three sticks in it for masts.  There are precious few in this hobby that have not only the knowledge to impart but also the desire to give it to others - I think a vast majority of them are on this site.  I wish I could offer helpful hints, but that being said, I applaud your attitude toward really "constructive" criticism, and I believe that most people do have that attitude - they would like to improve their work and do another.  Esteban M  

[kscadman]

Eric, I know how you feel. I would like to comment more on current builds other than the "looks nice" comments. I understand what you mean about being too critical in comments. I guess my frustration comes from the asking for criticism (help) and just getting a "like". This is my first build and though I've been researching to learn, sometimes I'm too green to know where to search. BTW, where in Missouri do you live? I'm right across the border in Kansas near Kansas City.

 

Hi Steve, its ok, we are all shipaholics. lol. Thanks for the comment and yes you do have good taste. That's why we are here. I try to reach out to those who have the knowledge and experience so I can continue to get better at my work.

[kscadman]

Hi Joshua. I have made several posts in the various forums and haven't had much success with it.

 

[Cathead]

I think the unfortunate reality is that this forum has far more questions and topics than everyone can keep up with, especially those with the knowledge to answer every question. Sometimes the person you need is busy; not everyone checks the forum every day or even every week, and it's easy to miss a given question or topic for a little while. There's a real tension between the immediate need of the modeller for an answer, and the delayed response time of other forum members who aren't necessarily on the same schedule. I certainly can't keep up with everything that's happening on here.

 

I'm in central Missouri, a bit north of the river.

[tlevine]

Eric has hit the problem on the nail head.  Many of us still have real jobs and we all have real lives.  Sometimes I am unable to do serious  post reading for a week at a time.  By then, there is little incentive to add  to the thread.  Also, with limited time to dedicate to the hobby,  I have select areas that I read w/i MSW.  For example, I rarely look at the kit builds and shore leave.  

[Ulises Victoria]

As some other have said: I hit the like button when I like what I am seeing but I don't have a specific question or comment to make. I hit the like button instead of just posting a "Good Job" or "Congrats" comment that does nothing to improve the build. I see the likes in MY posts the same way. I have to confess that I love reading comments and much prefer these over the simple like mark, but I think others have the same feeling as I do regarding likes and comments.

 

Best regards

 

[Justin P.]

One thing Ive seen over and over, within this forum and in others, is that many common questions arise that typically already answered at length in other places.  Any trip to another forum and you will see that asking a question like this normally is immediately followed by some snark comment about you not doing any due dilligence or research.   One thing Ive always appreciated about this forum is that despite some builders clearly not bothering to read other logs, they STILL get lenthy anwers and help from some of the same people whom I know have answered that same question a half-dozen times or more...  so really, I see nothing wrong with how anybody does anything around here.   This forum is already far better than many others...   no complaints at all. 

 

For me, I often totally forget the like button, and actually regret not utilizing it more just to let others know that the work they put into their logs is appreciated, is being read and is still worth doing.   As a relative newb, I rarely have anything useful to add, so try to remember that many of the likes your getting might be from folks not nessesarily ingoring your question, but maybe just are not able to answer it (or if like me, like your question because they themselves have the same one...).  

 

Plus, who am I to critisize your work?  An interesting phenomenom I noticed having read (I think) almost every Longboat build log is that the same people will comment "beautiful job" and "clean work" even though clearly one builder is light years better or cleaner.   To me this is not a dishonestly but rather quite helpful, not only to the builder but also to the continued interest and growth of the hobby.   Truly good criticism comes across in a way that is hard to distinguish, and I personally appreciate the subtlety and the respect people of all skill levels within this particular community show to each other.  

 

Honestly...  this is without a doubt one of the best forums I have ever been lucky enough to discover.   No ego's, clean language, genuine interest in the work and best of all: lots of help....

[monteumbe]

I couldn't have said it better